Vibratory coring apparatus



Jan. 20, 1970 E. HORTON 3,490,550 VIBRATORY CURING APPARATUS Filed July 14, 1967 e Sheets-Sheet 1 II A a INVENTOR 504mm 5 Hm mm W awwg w,

A77 NEYS Jan. 20, 1970 E. E. HORTON VIBRATORY CORING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 14, 1967 Jan. 20, 1970 E. E. HORTON 3,490,550

VIBRATORY CORING APPARATUS Filed July 14, 1967 V e Sheets-Sheet s \wmmw F/G. 5A

E. E. HORTON Jan. 20, 1970 VIBRATORY CORING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 14, 1967 Jan. 20, 1970 E. E. HORTON 3,490,550

VIBRATORY CORING APPARATUS Filed July 14, 1967 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 F/GJZ United States Patent 3,490,550 VIBRATORY CORING APPARATUS Edward E. Horton, Portuguese Bend, Calif., assignor to Ocean Science and Engineering, Inc., Washington, D.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 14, 1967, Ser. No. 653,446 Int. Cl. E21b l/10, 7/12, 15/02 US. Cl. 1755 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention herein relates to core recovery means and more particularly to vibratory core recovery and associated means for making sea bottom recoveries from a ship.

The use of vibratory recovery means is desirable as bottom disturbance is lessened and stratified samples may be obtained. Heretofore vibratory recovery from shipboard was not feasible because ship motion would cause repeated dislocation of the substantially vertical drill string nor was it practicable to make up the drill string due to ship motion.

The object of this invention is the provision of means whereby recoveries may be made from a shipboard installation by so constructing the drilling means and associated shipboard equipment that ship movements are compensated for and disturbance of the drill string is, for practical purposes, eliminated.

A further object is the inclusion of vertically aligned means for initially making up the drill string, and then adding thereto and having associated therewith control means whereby the operations may be readily carried out during ship movement.

A further object is the provision of improved vibratory means which may be used other than in the combinations disclosed herein, and drill string make up means which may be associated therewith.

A further object is an improved means for controlling a drill string positioning winch'in response to ship movements.

A still further object is a relatively simple rig combining the foregoing into a unitary portable installation for core recovery, which does not require shipboard modification other than releasable means for securing the rig to a deck.

These foregoing and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when viewed in light of the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements throughout the figures thereof are indicated by like numerals and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation view of the vibratory coring rig mounted aboard ship;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation view of the tong-vibrator-clamp mechanism utilized herein;

FIGURE 4 is a top view of the vibratory head;

FIGURE 5 is a front view of the vibrator head shown in FIGURE 4 with the cover plate removed;

FIGURE 5A is a sectional view of a clamping means;

FIGURE 6 is a front section view taken along line 66 in FIGURE 4;

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FIGURE 7 is a schematic/diagrammatic view of the mechanical and hydraulic components of the joint make up winch;

FIGURE 8 is a diagrammatic view of the joint make up winch system;

FIGURE 9 is an isolated perspective view of the hoisting cable rigging of the present invention;

FIGURE 10 is a side sectional view of the wire line core barrel for lifting core samples;

FIGURE 11 is a diagrarmnatic vie-w, partially in section of a jet system for lifting core samples; and

FIGURE 12 is a diagrammatic view partially in section of an air lift system for lifting core samples.

Referring to the drawings, particularly FIGURES 1 and 2, the letter A indicates the portable vibratory coring rig mounted on a ship B. The vibratory coring rig includes a derrick 10, a skid 12, a tong-vibrator-clamp mechanism 14 and a drill string 16.

The derrick 10 consists of a pair of A-frames 17, each having a primary support leg 18 and a secondary support leg 20. The legs 18 of A-frames 17 are parallel and rigidly connected at their upper end by a transverse platform 22 to support various pulleys as hereinafter seen. The lower ends of the legs 18 are pivotally connected to one end of the skid 12 by a connector 24. The legs 20 are pivotally connected to their upper end by connectors 23 t0 brackets extending rearwardly from the legs 18, and at their lower ends to the skid 12 by connectors 26, rear wardly of connectors 24. The legs 18 and 20 are proportioned to permit the platform 22 to swing outboard of the hull.

The skid 12 is removably connected to the hull in any suitable way, and comprises parallel transversely spaced L-shaped members each having a horizontal longer arm 28 connected to the deck, and a shorter arm 30 depending downwardly from the arm of 28 and against the hull. The L-shaped members are connected by a rigid transverse beam 32 at the intersections of arms 28 and 30' and rearwardly thereof as required. The lower end of each arm 30 carries an outwardly extending horizontal foot 34 for mounting pulleys as will be subsequently seen.

The drill string 16 comprises a plurality of pipe lengths 36, each length 'having a threaded male and a threaded female end for interconnecting the pipe lengths and interconnecting means combined with a tong-vibrator-clamp (TVC) mechanism 14.

As best seen in FIGURES 2 and 3, the tong-vibratorclamping means 14 is supported from the derrick 10 and generally comprises a hydraulic clamp 38, a power tong 40 and a vibrator head 42 having aligned openings therethrough the axes of which are invertical alignment.

As best seen in FIGURES 5 and 6, the hydraulic clamp 38 is used for securing the vibrator head 42 and transmitting vibrations therefrom to the drill string 16. The clamp 38 has an outer cylinder 48 and a concentrically arranged longitudinally slotted inner cylinder 46 to receive a pipe length 36. End collars 52 secure the inner and outer cylinders together and space them from one another. A hydraulic hose 50 with an elliptical cross section, is spirally wrapped around the exterior of the inner cylinder and is confined by the outer cylinder 48 within the chamber defined by cylinders 44 and 48. The major diameter of the ellipse defined by the cross section of the hose 50 is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the inner cylinder 44 and when a pipe length is in cylinders 44, the clamp 38 is actuated by applying a hydraulic pressure within the hose 50 causing it to attempt to form a circular cross section, thereby applying pressure against the outside of the inner slotted cylinder 44 reducing it in diameter and clamping and securing the pipe length 36 therein.

The vibrator head 42 as best shown in FIGURES 3 through 6, is mounted on the upper portion of the clamp 38 and includes a housing 51 having front and rear wingshaped wall members 56 and 58 extending from a cylindrical collar 49 mounted axially on the clamps outer cylinder wall 48. Carried between the walls 56 and 58 are four cylindrical housing 53, 55, 57 and 59 positioned so that a line drawn between their axial centers defines a parallelogram with two housing to each side of the vertical center line of the hydraulic clamp. Bearings 61 are located in the front and rear housing Walls on the axial centers of the housing 53, 55, 57 and 59 to support a shaft 62 within each housing. The respective ends of each shaft extend through the front and rear walls 56 and 58. Rigidly attached to each shaft 62 for rotation therewith is a halfcylindrical eccentric weight 64. The respective ends of the shafts 62 external of housing wall 56 each carry a driving sprocket and as seen in FIGURE the sprockets 68 in the first and second quadrants are connected to a sprocket 76 through a timing chain 70 with a line drawn from the center of the three sprockets defining an isosceles triangle with gear 76 at the apex. Sprockets 68 in the third and fourth quadrants and sprocket 77 are similarly but oppositely arranged. The sprockets 76 and 77 are each carried on the outer end of a stub shaft 74, the shafts being parallel and arranged normal to the vertical center line of the vibrator head and equal distance to each side thereof. Also carried by each shaft 74 is an intermeshing spur gear 78, and the inner ends of shafts 74 are rotatably mounted in a base plate 72 secured to the eccentric housing. The opposite ends of each of the eccentric weight carrying shafts 62 are coupled to a hydraulic motor 60 (see FIG- URE 4) for driving the shafts. The drive gear is covered by a removable closure plate 60.

From the foregoing it is seen that the vibrator comprises eccentric Weight means rotating in opposite directions, with a pair of each side of the drill string. The eccentrics are synchronized through the turning means comprising the interconnecting sprocket, chain and spur gear arrangement and upon operation the inertia forces are additive in a vertical direction and cancelled in the horizontal with the frequency of vibration being controlled through the speed. The power tong or wrench 40 is located above the clamp 38 and compirses an annular housing 41 having a central opening 43 therethrough in axial alignment with the clamp 38. Positioned within housing 44 is a hydraulically operated gripper for threading the lower end of one drill string section to the upper end of a drill string section held by the clamp assembly therein. The gripper is reversible to either make or break the joints and such hardware is known to the art.

As best seen in FIGURE 3, the power tong assembly 40 is supported centrally of a supporting yoke 80. Rods 82 depending downwardly from the yoke extend through vertical sleeves in a supporting yoke 84. The yoke 84 supports the vibrator head 42 and the clamping means 38. The rods 82 are disposed that the axial centers of the tong and clamp are invertical alignment with the clamp below the tong. Isolation springs 101 cushion relative movement therebetween. The opposite ends of the tong support yoke 80 terminate in vertical sleeves 88 which slidably receive guy cables 90. The cables 90 are secured at their upper end to the derrick platform 22 by tension adjusting nuts 92 and at their lower end to the skid foot 34. The guy cables 90 assure that movement of the tongs-vibratorclamp mechanism 14 is in a vertical direction.

Inwardly from each guy cable sleeve, the yoke 80 is further provided with vertical sleeves 96 aligned with sleeves 98 on the ends of yoke 84 for slidably receiving compensating bars 94. The bars 94 substantially longer than the sleeves and have top, bottom and intermediate annular yoke movement limiting stops 100. The stops 100 limit movement of the yokes toward one another. Isoladown cable 104. With the above construction the clamp and vibrator head is suspended from yoke by rods 82 and have limited vertical movement relative to the yoke and yokes 80 and 84 are simultaneously vertically movable via the compensating bars 94. Upward movement of the compensating bars 94 is accomplished by passing the hoisting cables 102 (see FIGURE 9) through upper pulleys 106 attached to the derrick platform 22 down and through base pulleys 108 attached to arm 28 of the skid 12, then rearwardly and through cross arm pulley sheaves 110 mounted on a horizontal cross head 112, then reverse their direction and connect to the ends of transverse equalized arm 114, the latter being pivotally connected at its center cross beam 32 of skid 12. The arm 114 will pivot and take up slack in one of the cables and let out on the other should the yokes get out of horizontal.

Downward movement of the compensating bars is accomplished by passing the pull down cables 104 through pulleys 116 carried on the foot 34 of skid 12, then through base pulleys 11-8 carried by the crossbrace at the forward end of skid arms 28, then through pulleys 120 at the rear end of the skid and reversing their travel to the sheaves 122 mounted on the movable crosshead 112 and again reversing their direction and terminating at snubbers 124.

The cables 102 and 104 are operated by movement of crossheads in horizontal tracks on the skid (not shown), the crosshead being carried on the forward end of the ram 128 which extends from the hydraulic cylinder 126 of conventional double acting type. As is clear from FIG- URE 9, outward travel of ram 128 moves the crosshead 112 outward to operate the pull down cables 104 lowering the compensating arms 94 and associated means; whereas inward travel of the ram moves crosshead 112 in board to operate the hoisting cables 102 raising the compensating bars and associated means.

As seen, the compensating bars are substantially l0nger than the yoke sleeve providing a lost play therebetween. When the tong vibration clamping means 14 is clamped on the drill string (see FIGURE 3) its downward movement will be at the rate of drilling, and the lost play permits the compensating bars to move relatively to the yokes and cancel out ship movements.

In order to reduce the downward force on the drill string 16 resulting from the weight of the tongs-vibratorclamp means 14, counter balance cables 130 are attached to the top of the yoke 80 and pass over pulleys 131 (see FIGURE 1) mounted on platform 22 and through an opening in the top of the derrick primary legs and connected to counterweights 132 slidable therein.

The drill string is made up by using successive pipe lengths, vertically lowering them into the TVC means 14 to make up the joints. T0 lift the pipe lengths 36, a joint makeup winch 134 is carried by the skid 12. The winch (see FIGURES 7 and 8) is designed to suspend a pipe length over the drill string 16 when the drill string is fixed to the sea floor while maintaining the TVC head relatively stationary. As seen in FIGURE 7, a signal cable 136 is afiixed to the tongs-vibrator-clamp mechanism 14 and extends upwardly and downwardly therefrom and is passed through derrick pulleys in like manner to the hoisting and pull down cables and terminates in a number of turns connected to the signal drum 138 which is mounted on a signal input shaft 140 extending from a torque amplifier 142. Relative movement between the ship and TVC results in the signal cable being successive and reversely payed out and hauled in turning drum 138 p in relation to the ship movement.

tion or shock absorbing springs 101 are positioned between The turning of the drum, powers the torque amplifier which is a commercial device similar to a conventional power steering component and well known in the art. Acting through a clutch 144 and brake 146, the torque amplifier drives the first leg 147 of the differential 148. The second leg 149 of the differential 148 is driven by a conventional hydraulic motor 150, and the third leg is the output shaft 152. A sprocket 153 mounted on the end of shaft 152 drives the chain 154 to the sprocket 155 mounted on one end of a shaft 156 carrying the winch drum 158. A joint makeup cable 160, has one end attached to the winch drum 158, and extends therefrom through a pulley 162 attached to derrick platform 22. The other end carries an end hook 164 for suspending and lowering a pipe length 36 into the tongs-vibrator-clamp mechanism 14.

In response to a movement of signal cable 136, the torque amplifier drives one leg of the differential 148 through the clutch 144, the brake 146 being released, the second leg 149 of the differential being driven by the hydraulic motor 150, with the third leg 152 carrying a sprocket 153 which connects through chain 154 to a sprocket 155, on the which shaft 156 of the winch 158, and thus rotation of the winch is responsive to the motion of the ship. Whereupon the relative distance between the added pipe length and the top of the drill string will decrease at a rate proportional to the rotation of the second leg 149 of the differential. The ship motion input to the winch drum is eliminated by releasing the clutch 144 and engaging the brake 146, on the first leg 147 of the differential, and then the winch acts in a conventional manner.

Summarizing the foregoing, the drill string 16 may be made up by feeding a first length of pipe 14 through the TVC means and clamping the pipe length with its upper end just below the tong 40. Successive lengths are then fed and the joint made up at the tong, the clamp 38 being successively released for lowering each length until the drill string hits bottom. When this occurs, ship movement is compensated for by the lost motion between the TVC and the compensating bars and the automatic control of winch 158. The vibrator means is then set in motion and being positively secured to the clamp, the vertical forces are transmitted through the clamp to the drill string. Periodically, the clamp 38 must be released from the drill string and raised and clamped at another point as the drill string penetrates the bottom.

By utilizing the above structure a first method of recovering core samples is by use of a wire line core barrel 166 as shown in FIGURE 10. The wire line c re barrel consists of an outer barrel 168 whose upper end is threadingly engaged with the lowermost pipe length 36. A core tip 170 of conventional construction having a bit 172 and a circular opening 174 is threadingly engaged with the lower end of the outer barrel 168. The diameter of the core tip opening 174 is smaller than the inner diameter of the outer barrel 168 to form an annular shoulder 176. Slidably received within the outer barrel 168 is an inner barrel 178 having its lower end seated on the shoulder 176. Pivotally connected to the walls at the bottom of inner cylinder 178 are a plurality of flapper valve members 180 which will permit ingress of formation material into the inner cylinder 178 but do not permit egress. Circular plates 182 and 184 having central openings are secured respectively to the top and upper portion of the inner cylinder 178 to form a chamber 186. A hammer 188 attached to a rod 190 is the upper end of the rod hooking on to a barrel cable 192 which extends through the drill string 16 and over appropriate pulleys to a conventional winch aboard ship. In use, the inner barrel is lowered on cable 192 through the drill string 16 to seat on shoulder 176. If material has entered the drill string 16 and obstructs the downward passage of the inner cylinder 178, the hammer is raised and lowered by the cable 192 to jar the material loose.

. Other methods of raising samples to the surface can be used where preservation of formation integrity is not critical. FIGURE 11 shows a water jet system for lifting sample returns. A flexible hose 194 connected at one end to a water jet pump 196 is wound around a hose reel 198, passes over a pulley 200 and down to the bottom of drill string 16, terminating in a nozzel 202 which directs a major portion of the jet stream upward and a minor portion of the jet stream downward. The downward stream will provide a cutting and loosening action to the foundation while the upward stream will carry sample particles up through the drill pipe, through an elbow 204 connected to the top of the drill string 16, and through an extension 206 into a screen 208.

In FIGURE 12, an air lift system for lifting a sample return is shown. An air hose 210 and a flexible hose 212 extend down through the drill string 16.

The air hose 210 is connected at 211 to flexible hose 212 near its bottom end and com-pressed air provided by an air compressor 214 is pumped therethrough. An opening 216 in the drill pipe 16 allows sea water to enter. The air will flow upwardly in the flexible hose 212 thus causing a partial vacuum below the connection 211 which will draw the sample up through the bottom end opening of hose 212 to the surface onto screen 218. The core recovery means used is a matter of selection controlled by the type of samples desired.

A second embodiment of a clamping means is disclosed in FIGURE 5a. In this embodiment a camming apparatus is used in place of the hose member. Here, the housing 48 and an upper inner ring 151 define an annular chamber 157 in which an annular piston 159 is received. O-rings 220, 222, 224, and 226 seal the chamber and pressurized fluid enters the chamber -via fitting 161.

An annular sleeve 163 having interior sawtooth formations is slidably received within the housing 48 between the piston and an annular bottom flange 165. Disposed inwardly of the sleeve is a segmented clamp 167 each segment of which is vertically fixed by positioning screws 169. The segmented clamp is positioned about the drill pipe.

When chamber 157 is pressurized, piston 159* is driven downwardly causing surfaces 171 of the sleeve to cam the opposing surfaces 173 of the segments. This action drives the segments into gripping engagement with the drill pipe.

I claim:

1. A rig for penetrating a surface area below water comprising a platform, a derrick apparatus having a base mounted on said platform and an extension extend-able over said area, a drill string, first means for vertically suspending said drill string below said extension, a vibrator, second means about said drill string for transmitting vibrations from said vibrator to said drill string, and joining means receiving the upper end of said drill string and the lower end of a separate drill string section for securing said upper end to said lower end.

2. The rig described in claim 1 wherein said joining means is a tong apparatus, and said tong apparatus includes power means therein for securing said upper end to said lower end.

3. The rig described in claim 1 wherein said second means is a clamp and third means selectively engage and disengage said clamp from said first means.

4. The rig described in claim 3 wherein said clamp comprises an annular housing, an annular split sleeve slidably received in said housing, the outer surface of said sleeve and the inner surface of said housing having cooperating wedge-like formations such that relative axial movement of the sleeve and the housing causes contraction of the sleeve about said drill string and power means for causing relative axial movement of the sleeve and housing.

5. The rig described in claim 1 wherein said first means includes foot members extending outwardly from said platform vertically below said extension, transversely spaced vertical guide cables extend from the platform to the foot members, and carrier means slidably mount said joining means for vertical movement along said guide cables.

6. The rig described in claim 5 wherein said first means further includes hoisting cable means extending through said joining means, stop means on said hoisting cable means for resiliently supporting said apparatus with re- 7 spect to said cable means, second stop means on said hoisting means for suspending said vibrator and clamp below said tong apparatus.

7. The rig described in claim 6 wherein said hoisting cable means includes a cable having one end extending to said platform, a sensing means for detecting the vertical movement of said platform and motor means responsive to said sensing means for extending said cable when said platform moves downwardly and retracting said cable when said platform moves upwardly.

8. A drilling rig for use aboard ship including a horizontal elongated rectangular skid member having outer and inner ends, a pair of transversely spaced legs pivotally mounted at the outer end of the skid and extending upwardly therefrom, a member interconnecting the upper ends of the legs, a pair of transversely spaced legs depending from the outer end of the skid, foot members extending outwardly from the lower ends of the depending legs, transversely spaced guide cables extending from the platform to the foot members, a combination tong-vibrating and clamping unit, carrier means slidably mounting said unit on the guide cables for free sliding movement, a pair of hoisting cables having their outer ends connected to said unit, a hydraulic jack mounted on saidskid and the other ends of said hoisting cables connected to said skid.

9. The drilling rig described in claim 8 wherein said combination tong-vibrating and clamping unit includes a first tong bracket of which said carrier means are a part.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner RICHARDE. FAVREAU, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

